CVE-2026-19591
Codex CLI/Desktop approval-bypass allows user-level code execution via modified config
Is CVE-2026-19591 being exploited?
Not confirmed. CVE-2026-19591 does not appear in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which records only exploitation that has been observed and reported publicly. That is evidence of absence of a report, not evidence the flaw is unattacked. EPSS currently estimates a 0.30% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How severe is CVE-2026-19591?
CVE-2026-19591 is rated High with a CVSS score of 8.8. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2026-19591?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2026-19591. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2026-19591 affect?
CVE-2026-19591 affects OpenAI Codex CLI (Windows/macOS/Linux), Codex Desktop (Windows/macOS), PowerShell Core (pwsh) on macOS/Linux - required for exploit. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
What should I do about CVE-2026-19591?
Install vendor update, avoid untrusted repos, restrict PowerShell Core, enforce least privilege.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
Bypass of approval lets attacker write files, modify Codex config, launch attacker MCP server and execute code with the user's privileges (read/change/delete files).
Patch when possible
- affected>= 0.72.0 and <= 0.130.0
- affected>= 260202.0859 and <= 26.513.31313
- affected>= 26.304.38 and <= 26.513.40821
- affected>= 26.304.38.0 and <= 26.513.4821.0
As published in the CVE Program record. A version outside these ranges is not a statement that it is unaffected — vendors sometimes understate a range, and distribution-backported builds carry upstream numbers that do not reflect what was patched into them.